Chief Executive Officer, Dara Systems LLC
Dr. Benjamin D. Trump is Chief Executive Officer of Dara Systems LLC, focusing on organizational and societal resilience and decision-making for defense, risk governance, and emergency response. In January 2025, President Biden awarded him the Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers (PECASE), the highest federal honor for early-career researchers. He twice served as U.S. Embassy Science Fellow to Turkmenistan on multilateral water security and led multiparty research in Iraq, Jordan, and Libya on critical infrastructure resilience and environmental security. The current President of the Society for Risk Analysis, Dr. Trump has supported organizations including USAID, the World Bank, NATO Science for Peace and Security, UNDRR, OECD, and the International Risk Governance Council. He has authored 11 books and more than 100 peer-reviewed papers, receiving honors such as the Chauncey Starr Award. During COVID-19, he served two years as an emergency responder, earning the U.S. Army Civilian Medal for Humanitarian Service and the Army Superior Civilian Service Award, and led a team that received an Army Superior Unit Award. He holds a PhD from the University of Michigan School of Public Health, where he is Adjunct Associate Professor.